Short answers, pulled from the story.
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great, was an early Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed heresies such as Arianism and Apollinarianism. He is considered a saint by both Eastern and Western Christianity.
Basil of Caesarea was born around 330 in Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia. He died on the 1st or the 2nd of January 379, and historians disagree about the exact date. He suffered from liver disease, and excessive ascetic practices contributed to his early death.
The Basiliad, also called the Ptochoptopheion, was a large complex Basil built just outside Caesarea that included a poorhouse, a hospice, and a hospital. It has been believed to be one of the earliest forms of a Christian hospital for the poor. Gregory of Nazianzus compared it to the wonders of the world.
Basil of Caesarea established guidelines for monastic life focused on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor, and he founded a monastic settlement near Annesi by 358. Together with Pachomius he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. His influence also reached the Western church through Benedict of Nursia.
Basil of Caesarea, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church gave Basil, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch.
Basil of Caesarea was responsible for defining the terms ousia and hypostasis and for the classic formulation of three Persons in one Nature. His single greatest contribution was his insistence on the divinity and consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. He was named a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church.
In Greek tradition Basil of Caesarea brings gifts to children every the 1st of January, known as St Basil's Day. The tradition is attributed to him because, as a bishop, he hid gold coins inside sweetened bread distributed to the poor. Families today serve vasilopita, a rich bread baked with a coin inside.